Roch Castle

Roch Castle is a castle, dating to the early 20th century, built of rubble stone with ashlar dressings. It is a tall, single structure with a rough D-plan, appearing square to the north, but featuring battlemented angle turrets at the northeast and northwest. The southwest side curves around to a projecting, taller south tower, and a diagonal southeast side connects back to the north end. An early 20th century service range was added to the north rear. The castle stands three stories high with corbelled battlements. It has 20th-century flush stone mullioned windows with hoodmoulds and gunmetal casements.

The projecting, central south tower is raised upon a rock spur and rises sheer to battlements without corbelling. It has a two-light mullioned window on each of its three floors facing south, with two small rectangular windows on successive floors to the west. A chimney is situated on the rear north side. The east side features a two-light mullioned window on each floor.

The main west front displays the southwest quadrant curve with a deep, corbelled embattled parapet, stopped by two wall-face chimneys. The northwest square section has a short length of lower parapet, which steps up again at the northeast octagonal angle turret. The corbelling is continuous, apart from a slight step down at the northwest turret. The curved section has two small windows in the parapet, and one roughly central two-light mullion window facing southeast. The straight piece to the left has different floor levels, incorporating a two-light mullion-and-transom window to the ground floor, a three-light mullioned window above, and a smaller, similar three-light window above, all with hoodmoulds, and a single blank opening in the parapet above.

The main east side has a southeast section that is splayed rather than curved from the south projection. The parapet steps down considerably at the junction with the lower northeast block. The splayed section includes a large 20th-century plate-traceried two-light pointed window on the ground floor, along with a section of corbelled walling above and to the right. An ivy-clad projection returns north, joining the flat northeast block. Some projecting stones suggest that a curtain wall was intended to run east. The northeast part has an embattled parapet, stepped up to the octagonal northeast corner turret with stepped-down corbelling underneath. On the east side is a 20th-century door and a three-light mullioned window above. The north side mirrors the corbelling and battlements between the octagonal northwest and northeast turrets; most first-floor windows are obscured by the service range.

The early 20th century north service range is square and lower than the castle tower, but appears full three stories high (with a basement) due to a sloping ground level. It has flat corbelled parapets and slightly raised flat corner turrets, echoing the castle. The west front has outside steps leading to an eroded sandstone ashlar Tudor-arched door with a hoodmould to the ground floor right. A three-light mullion window is positioned to the ground floor centre, with a similar, smaller window above. A two-light window is set in the basement to the left and single-lights each floor above. The north front has basement garage doors and a three-light window to the right, complemented by a similar three-light to the centre of each floor above, each including a single-light to the right. The east side has varied windows, mostly narrow single lights.